By Choice, Not Chance: Fireteam Stories
by ladyawesomesauce
Summary: "You know that there was more than just fighting the darkness, right? I mean, yeah, that was a big part of it. But there's always more to life." - A collection of stories about friendship, loss, and the time spent in-between missions in Sianna's life as a Guardian.


"_Are you well? Does anyone, anywhere, ask after your wellness? You've done so much. I hope you have friends, not just people who send you on errands." – Truth to Power, "Medusa"_

**"Fireteam"**

_-Earth Patrol, a few months after being first resurrected-_

Valo started the process of resurrecting his Guardian for what seemed like the umpteenth time today. He had a laundry list of things to tell her when she came back up, but first and foremost was always

"Welcome back."

Sianna groaned, still lying on her back where she landed. The Fallen Captain that had reduced her to this position had moved on, now ambling some one hundred yards away, his four arms raised, cheering and gloating to the smaller Fallen around him.

"Well?" Valo asked with a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "Are you going to try again?"

Her next groan sounded like a sigh of defeat.

_Finally, maybe now we can move on from this,_ Valo thought. But instead of heading away from the ornery Fallen with the big gun, Sianna once again took off in its direction.

"Sianna!" he groaned. "Just because I _can_ rez you doesn't mean I like it!"

She engaged the Fallen Captain. The Fallen Captain retaliated. Valo found her in roughly the same position as before, broken and bruised and bloodied. For a moment, he pondered taking his sweet time resurrecting her. Like putting a child in time-out, except this child was a Traveler-knows-how-old woman who knew her way around a gun. He was about to make his decision when he sensed a presence beside them.

Another Ghost had begun adding their light to the felled Guardian. The new Ghost's Guardian stood at high alert next to them, only breaking his concentration when Sianna was quickly resurrected again. Her eyebrows knitted together when she saw the pair standing, or floating, above her.

"Looks like you could use some help," the Guardian offered his hand to pull Sianna up, which she took. After being lifted to her feet, she looked between the duo that had just assisted them. It was a Hunter, as apparent by the cloak that covered his head and part of his silver faced mask. On his hip was a quiver with glowing purple arrows for a bow she could not see. The Hunter tilted his head in the direction of the Fallen Captain.

"Rumor has it, this guy has been a lot of trouble. My partner and I have been trying to track him down for forever," his attention turned back to Sianna.

"You did a pretty good number on him though. We might actually get him this time," he paused and gave a small two-fingered salute to her, perhaps remembering that they had not been introduced. A bright gold ribbon was tied to his wrist, standing out in stark contrast to the dark color scheme of his armor.

"The name's Aden. And this is Rosa," Aden jerked his thumb over his shoulder to a Ghost sporting a glassy white shell emitting wisps of purple energy.

"Hello!" Rosa said brightly.

"This is Sianna. I'm her Ghost, Valo."

"Well… Sianna, Valo, what do you say we show that Fallen Captain what multiple Guardians can do?"

Aden cocked his gun, and though she could not see it through his mask, Sianna figured he was smiling gleefully, as most Hunters seemed to be when tracking a target. She appreciated his enthusiasm.

"Kat will be upset if we get too far ahead again," Rosa warned. Aden's head lolled back as he sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. But she takes all the fun out."

"Wait for her and I won't tell her you said that."

"Who is Kat?" Valo asked.

"My fireteam member. Exo, Titan, sharp as a tack but a stickler for rules. I'm sure Zavala _adores_ her. In fact, here she comes now," Aden pointed behind Sianna, where a Sparrow carrying another Guardian was making its way down the path. Just before the vehicle could come too close, the rider aboard hopped off, landing lithely next to the group.

"Hurricane!" Aden whooped happily. "Glad you could make it!"

"No thanks to you," the Titan put a hand on her hip. She stood a few inches taller than Sianna; between her sturdy armor and large red pauldrons on her shoulders, she gave off an air of power and intimidation. It was the kind of presence that would send Sianna running in the other direction, if she met the Titan in a Crucible match.

"Ah, I knew you could handle yourself." Aden waggled a hand in the air dismissively, not affected by the image of strength that had just arrived. "Anyway, look, I found someone!"

Aden indicated to Sianna with a bit of flair he undoubtedly picked up from Cayde-6.

"Hurricane, this is Sianna and Valo. They have beef with the Fallen Captain we've been tracking. Guys, this is Hurricane – I mean, Kat-3."

Kat-3 nodded to Sianna, who returned the greeting with her own silent nod. She wondered why Aden called the Guardian 'Hurricane'. The Ghost beside Kat chuckled.

"Looks like they'll get along just fine. I'm Elias, by the way."

"Great, now that introductions are out of the way… let's go get this guy!"

"Don't leave us behind this time, Aden," Elias warned. "Or you'll be last to be helped up."

"Oh, okay, fine," Aden relented, now reaching into a pouch at his side and pulling out a small coin. With a swift flick, he tossed it in Sianna's direction. She caught it midair. It was a circular medallion, rimmed in gold and set with three green plates, each bearing a Guardian class symbol. After she had inspected the coin, Sianna looked to her newfound comrades. Both Aden and Kat now appeared as two green dots on the radar in her helmet's heads-up display.

"It may only be temporary," Kat-3 said. "But we are a complete fireteam now, which means we _stick together_ to fight humanity's enemies."

Aden ignored the obvious jab at his expense. "And hey, if we end up playing nicely with each other, maybe you can end up a permanent member! Whaddya say?"

Sianna pocketed the fireteam medallion and nodded to them both. Together, they now pursued the wanted enemy that had given each Guardian their own share of trouble.

* * *

The Fallen Captain and his small army had little chance against the united Guardians. They three stood victorious in the cave which their adversaries had retreated to. Ether leaked from slain Fallen around them and dissipated in wisps that coiled upwards. Valo and the two other Ghosts exchanged combat data of their Guardians while Aden, Kat, and Sianna mused over a locked chest tucked away in the far corner. This was the precious haul of the Captain, stolen from City caches and Guardians around the area. And now its contents were being reclaimed, if they could only get into it.

Aden ran his fingers around its edges, muttering angrily. He had spent the better part of a minute tinkering with any available surface in an attempt to open the chest, with no luck.

"Rosa! A little help?" he called behind him.

"Busy, Aden," Rosa answered, still in the middle of compiling data. Aden grumbled that it was a good thing he liked his little light, for all the sass she gave him.

"Here, let me see it," Kat-3 relieved the Hunter, who continued to string curses against 'the bugs' that were the Fallen.

She examined the chest in a similar fashion to Aden. It still did not open under her hands, despite her efforts. Aden sighed.

"Let's see if the Ghosts…"

Kat interrupted his words when she slammed a fist on the top of the chest. The sound echoed in the cave, causing both Sianna and Aden to jump in alarm.

"What the hell, Hurricane!" cried Aden. The lid of the chest now had a clear dent from the force of her Titan punch. Kat slipped her fingers under the raised edges created by the dent and pulled, neatly splitting the chest free of its lid. Sianna looked between Kat and Aden, eyebrows raised and thoroughly impressed. Aden, for his part, looked simply annoyed.

"Well, would you look at that," Elias chuckled as the three Ghosts rejoined their Guardians. "You didn't need us, after all."

Aden shook his head. "Titans have no appreciation for subtlety," he muttered.

"Subtlety? Subtlety doesn't get you the goods." Kat threw a hunk of Glimmer at Aden. He pocketed the currency and proceeded to dig through the chest to find his own share. Kat stood up, clutching an engram in each hand. She approached Sianna and extended one of the sparkling bundles of information to her.

"For your part, Sianna. The rest will go back to the City."

Sianna took the engram, smiling at the genuine interactions between Kat-3 and Aden.

"You really do live up to the whispers about you, when given the chance," Kat added.

"Thank you. You two aren't so bad, yourselves." Valo said proudly. If they seemed put-off by her Ghost answering for her, they did not show it. Aden joined the Titan in standing before Sianna.

"A Warlock that lets her actions speak louder than words…" he glanced at Kat. "I like it."

He thrust out his hand for Sianna to take. "I'd have you on my team any day."

Kat nodded. "I agree. She listens to instructions, too, unlike someone I know. Let's get back to the City with our haul and make it official."

* * *

From that point forward, the three Guardians were nearly inseparable. They turned to one another when the Vanguard needed three-man teams to strike out against those who would seek to threaten the Last City. Kat and Aden stood with Sianna as half of the six Guardians who ventured, and returned, from places where others had fallen.

Together, they tempered the edge of their Light with each other's, sharing in both victories and defeat over the years. In these two, Sianna found more than just comrades. She found friends.

* * *

A.N.: These will be slower going than the chapters in "The Red War". They will be released in a chronological timeline that will hopefully run alongside the other stories. Meaning a Fireteam Story that may take place after the Red War's conclusion won't appear until after "The Red War" has been completely written. Hope you enjoy! - LAS


End file.
